• By Vikas Yadav
  • Sat, 17 Aug 2024 01:01 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND

Meta-owned Instagram tests new enhancements on its app at regular intervals with the aim of improving user experience. The popular video app is now testing a fundamental change to its UI for user profiles. As confirmed to The Verge, the company is experimenting with a major shift towards vertical rectangle grids from the square format for profile pages.

According to the report, the hints of the feature date back to 2022 and some users spotted the new layout earlier this month. App reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi shared that the feature has been undergoing public testing since 2023. Instagram Head Adam Mosseri dropped hints of the testing in an Instagram story on Friday.

Also Read: Instagram May Soon Introduce '5-Second' Unskippable Ad Breaks In Your Feed; 'Terrible Decision', Netizens React

Mosseri noted the majority of the content uploaded on the platform is vertical. "It's either 4 by 3 in a photo or 9 by 16 in a video, and cropping it down to square is pretty brutal." "We're actually testing a vertical grid, for those of you who haven't seen it yet, for your profile, instead of squares. Now, squares are from way back in the day when you can only upload square photos to Instagram," as per the transcript cited by the news outlet, Mosseri said.

The Instagram Head also said this might turn "annoying" for some who especially focus on lining up for the 1:1 format. Instagram spokesperson Christine Pai also confirmed the update to The Verge: "We're testing a vertical profile grid with a small number of people". The company will listen to feedback before rolling it out further.

Also Read: Instagram May Let Users Try Experimental Features With 'Early Access' Settings, Create Themes For Chats Using AI

This might affect people who may have aligned their posts based on the strict square profile. Meanwhile, the upcoming features on the platform also leak via the rumour mill. According to Alessandro Paluzzi's X (formerly Twitter) post, the company is working on private Shortcuts to let users "quickly select people or groups to share to". Plus, the platform is working on the ability to add a WhatsApp profile link to Instagram.